DRINKING WATER
Quick-Lock Saves Contractor $225,000
Mechanical point repair offers a cost-effective, efficient alternative to traditional lining for fixing pipe defects. These thin-profile stainless-steel sleeves restore structural integrity and seal leaks quickly, significantly reducing project costs while maintaining optimal flow.
DRINKING WATER CASE STUDIES AND WHITE PAPERS
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Fractional Electrodeionization (FEDI) Technology For RO Permeate Polishing And Demineralization
Sabine Pass, a large LNG refinery in the U.S., required a membrane desalination solution to cater to its extensive process water needs in order to produce a large amount of liquefied natural gas for export.
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![DecodingOzoneDisinfection]( "Decoding Ozone Disinfection")
Decoding Ozone DisinfectionDisinfection is by far the most common use for ozone in water and wastewater treatment applications. The basics of ozone dosing / sizing have been discussed at length in any number of our previous articles. In this article, we are trying to provide better insight into decoding the why’s and how’s of your next ozone disinfection application. By Louis LeBrun, PE Thoram Charanda
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![GettyImages-1421313258 tap water]( "ECI Solves MRO's Chromium Contamination Problem With 900 Series Monitor/Controllers")
ECI Solves MRO's Chromium Contamination Problem With 900 Series Monitor/ControllersCr(VI) is a regulated contaminant in drinking water because it can cause gastrointestinal, liver, and developmental toxicity in humans when ingested. A facility was unable to discharge to their POTW because the CR(VI) concentration in their wastewater stream was over the regulated discharge limit.
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![Project Brief Buckeye.jpg]( "Insta-Valve 20-24 Provides Needed Control For Infrastructure Expansion")
Insta-Valve 20-24 Provides Needed Control For Infrastructure ExpansionHydra-Stop’s solution allowed targeted control to connect a million-gallon water tank to a new water treatment center.
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![GettyImages-172898918]( "The Role Of Ozone In Municipal Water Treatment")
The Role Of Ozone In Municipal Water TreatmentDiscover why ozone, a powerful oxidant and sanitizer, has become a leading solution for addressing water quality challenges.
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![GettyImages-803155598]( "How Ozone Generators Effectively Remove 1,4-Dioxane From Water Supplies")
How Ozone Generators Effectively Remove 1,4-Dioxane From Water SuppliesThis white paper shows how ozone can be used for the safe, effective removal of 1,4-dioxane from water.
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![getty-2262426935-water-AI]( "Apavital S.A. Digitalizes Water Consumption With Itron's Smart Metering Devices")
Apavital S.A. Digitalizes Water Consumption With Itron's Smart Metering DevicesModernize water network management by combining precision ultrasonic metering with advanced acoustic leak detection. This integrated digital approach provides real-time data to identify vulnerabilities, minimize non-revenue water, and optimize distribution for long-term operational sustainability.
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![GettyImages-1000639702_450_300]( "Connecting The Water Cycle: Bridging The Physical-Digital Gap")
Connecting The Water Cycle: Bridging The Physical-Digital GapThere are many reasons why an AMI system might fail, but more often than not it boils down to gaps in the physical-to-digital transition.
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![Removing Iron, Arsenic and Manganese To Meet California Regulations]( "Removing Iron, Arsenic, And Manganese To Meet California Regulations")
Removing Iron, Arsenic, And Manganese To Meet California RegulationsA pilot study was conducted in Sacramento to provide manufacturers an opportunity to demonstrate the effectiveness of water treatment products that employ oxidation and filtration to remove iron, manganese, and arsenic to levels.
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![Gwinnett-County-GA-Octave-Success-Story-1-1]( "Gwinnett County, GA, Improves Meter Program Through Science And Strategy")
Gwinnett County, GA, Improves Meter Program Through Science And StrategyGwinnett County is located 30 miles northeast of Atlanta. The County is investigating methods to improve its strategic program for water meters. These improvements include updated testing equipment, a wider selection of approved metering technologies, and increased employee training. The goal is to install the most appropriate meter for each specific use, and to enhance the county’s excellent customer service.
DRINKING WATER APPLICATION NOTES
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Cloth Media Filtration Removes Coal Ash And Coal Fines At Power Plants1/15/2019
Coal-fired power plants generate coal fines and coal ash from a number of sources, including coal combustion residuals (CCR), particularly fly and bottom ash from coal furnaces, and coal pile runoff during rain events. In support of an industry-wide effort to reduce, improve, and remove coal ash ponds, a variety of technologies have been tested and employed. Read the full application note to learn more.
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Immediate pH Correction For Fluctuating Flow2/19/2014
In a number of water, wastewater and industrial process applications, pH is one of the most critical and highly sensitive analytical measurements. Examples of critical pH applications include: Reverse Osmosis (RO) systems in which a controlled feed of caustic solution is typically added to the feed stream in order to convert a portion of dissolved carbon dioxide into bicarbonate precipitate allowing for removal by the RO membrane. By Rafik H. Bishara, Steve Jacobs, and Dan Bell
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HOD™ (Hydro-Optic Disinfection) UV Water Treatment For Bottled Water3/27/2025
The HOD™ (Hydro-Optic Disinfection) UV water treatment system by Atlantium Technologies represents a groundbreaking advancement in drinking water disinfection, particularly for the bottled water industry.
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The Basics: Testing RO Quality4/28/2014
Osmosis is the phenomenon of lower dissolved solids in water passing through a semi-permeable membrane into higher dissolved solids water until a near equilibrium is reached.
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LC-MS Analysis Of 33 PFAS Compounds In 5 Minutes11/4/2021
In response to environmental testing demands for faster LC-MS analyses, the new Ascentis® Express PFAS HPLC and delay columns allow the highly efficient separation of 33 PFAS compounds in 5 minutes with reduced background contamination.
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What Are You Doing To My Pipe: Can PVC Pipe Be Loaded?4/13/2021
The argument has been used that PVC pipe is delicate and can’t be subjected to any kind of loading. In EBAA's years of testing we have found that is not the case at all. PVC can take an extreme amount of strain.
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How To Install A Submersible Pump In Discharge Tubes11/28/2012
In the fields of water and waste water technology, submersible pumps represent a viable economic and technical alternative to conventional, dry-installed pumps. In particular, they offer a number of handling advantages during maintenance and installation work.
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Industry-Specific Applications For UV Technology6/17/2024
In Microelectronics, Aquafine UV systems provide a synergistic approach towards the reduction of trace organics and microbial contamination for ultrapure water.
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Pile Cloth Media Filtration Removes 97% Of Microplastics From Wastewater12/6/2023
Learn about filtering microplastics from industrial wastewater prior to discharge, and how this is one way to effectively reduce the volume of this waste material from entering our surface water.
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Harmonics Reduction Methods4/17/2017
There are several basic methods for reducing harmonic voltage and current distortion from nonlinear distribution loads such as adjustable frequency drives (AFDs). Following is a description of each method, along with each method’s advantages and disadvantages.
DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS
Designed to transform mechanical meters into communication data points, Itron's Cyble communication modules enable remote reading and monitoring of water meters on-site events.
HYMAX GRIP joins and restrains a wide selection of pipes of different types and diameters, easily and reliably. Due to its patented design, it allows the joining of pipes of the same or different materials and diameters and prevents axial pipe movement.
The Series 1100 MEGALUG® Mechanical Joint Restraints effectively and economically restrain Ductile Iron Pipe (DIP) to mechanical joints above or below ground, for practically any application including valves, hydrants, and pipe. For use on all classes of ductile iron pipe (PC350 through PC150 and CL56 through CL50) without damage to the pipe or cement linings. It can also be used on steel pipe and cast iron pipe when joining to mechanical appurtenances, see product brochure for more details on these pipes.
AqueoUS Vets is a multidisciplinary firm that focuses on standard and customized water treatment systems. We offer a superior line of products for pumping, conveyance, filtration, and storage for dewatering projects.
Endress+Hauser offers a complete assortment of compact thermometers, modular thermometers, thermowells, measurement inserts, transmitters and accessories for all types of process industries such as Oil & Gas, Chemicals, Food & Beverage, Life Sciences, Primaries & Metal, Power & Energy.
LATEST INSIGHTS ON DRINKING WATER
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![River water pollution, Ecological-GettyImages-1215336784]( "The AWWA Said $2.4 Trillion. It Missed The Compound Interest.")
Einstein once said of compound interest, "He who understands it, earns it. He who doesn't, pays it." The same logic of compounding applies to the organic sediment accumulating on the floor of your drinking water reservoir. The longer you wait to address it, the more exponentially expensive it becomes to fix.
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![snowystream-Getty-521971897]( "Winter's Alarmingly Low Snowpack Offers A Glimpse Of The Changing Rhythm Of Water In The Western U.S.")
The April 1 snowpack measurement has long been the single most important number in western water management, considered a strong proxy for how much water the mountains are holding in reserve. But in 2026, that savings account has been woefully deficient. -
![ColoradoRiverDam_Getty-1280300802]( "Why Colorado River Negotiations Stalled, And How They Could Resume With The Possibility Of Agreement")
Why Colorado River Negotiations Stalled, And How They Could Resume With The Possibility Of AgreementThe five most common sources of conflict between people are values, data, relationships, interests, and structure. The current Colorado River negotiations include all five. -
![Water droplets, PFAS, Forever chemical water contamination-GettyImages-2173433890]( "Designing Resilient PFAS Treatment Strategies For Water Agencies")
Water agencies across the U.S. are facing a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that poses a conundrum: Should they take a cautious or aggressive approach to treating PFAS contamination in their water system?
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![Oil spill clean up-GettyImages-1369921282]( "The Future Of In Situ Chemical Oxidation For Targeted Solvent Destruction")
The U.S. EPA’s 2026 trichloroethylene (TCE) compliance deadlines are now forcing a concrete shift toward source-zone destruction. In situ chemical oxidation (ISCO), sequenced with enhanced bioremediation, is proving to be the most credible path to groundwater contaminant rebound mitigation.
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![GettyImages-2252444539-digital-water-2]( "How Generative Design Can Help UK Utilities Justify PR29 Investment Cases")
Generative design strengthens PR29 investment cases by enabling rigorous optioneering, accurate cost estimates, and clear outcome alignment, helping water companies meet rising regulatory expectations.
DRINKING WATER VIDEOS
Take a quick tour of the Blue-White factory in Huntington Beach, California, where skilled employees are busy building chemical dosing pumps, complete metering systems and flow measurement equipment.
Learn how a tool-free, verifiable locking system streamlines complex installations like deep-bore directional drilling and provides the security needed for critical infrastructure.
As aquatic invasive species continue to overwhelm hydropower, industrial, and municipal systems worldwide, this webinar explores why traditional filtration and chemicals are falling short—and how a dual-barrier UV approach is emerging as a proven, chemical-free alternative backed by global field results.
ABOUT DRINKING WATER
In most developed countries, drinking water is regulated to ensure that it meets drinking water quality standards. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administers these standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
Drinking water considerations can be divided into three core areas of concern:
- Source water for a community’s drinking water supply
- Drinking water treatment of source water
- Distribution of treated drinking water to consumers
Drinking Water Sources
Source water access is imperative to human survival. Sources may include groundwater from aquifers, surface water from rivers and streams and seawater through a desalination process. Direct or indirect water reuse is also growing in popularity in communities with limited access to sources of traditional surface or groundwater.
Source water scarcity is a growing concern as populations grow and move to warmer, less aqueous climates; climatic changes take place and industrial and agricultural processes compete with the public’s need for water. The scarcity of water supply and water conservation are major focuses of the American Water Works Association.
Drinking Water Treatment
Drinking Water Treatment involves the removal of pathogens and other contaminants from source water in order to make it safe for humans to consume. Treatment of public drinking water is mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. Common examples of contaminants that need to be treated and removed from water before it is considered potable are microorganisms, disinfectants, disinfection byproducts, inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals and radionuclides.
There are a variety of technologies and processes that can be used for contaminant removal and the removal of pathogens to decontaminate or treat water in a drinking water treatment plant before the clean water is pumped into the water distribution system for consumption.
The first stage in treating drinking water is often called pretreatment and involves screens to remove large debris and objects from the water supply. Aeration can also be used in the pretreatment phase. By mixing air and water, unwanted gases and minerals are removed and the water improves in color, taste and odor.
The second stage in the drinking water treatment process involves coagulation and flocculation. A coagulating agent is added to the water which causes suspended particles to stick together into clumps of material called floc. In sedimentation basins, the heavier floc separates from the water supply and sinks to form sludge, allowing the less turbid water to continue through the process.
During the filtration stage, smaller particles not removed by flocculation are removed from the treated water by running the water through a series of filters. Filter media can include sand, granulated carbon or manufactured membranes. Filtration using reverse osmosis membranes is a critical component of removing salt particles where desalination is being used to treat brackish water or seawater into drinking water.
Following filtration, the water is disinfected to kill or disable any microbes or viruses that could make the consumer sick. The most traditional disinfection method for treating drinking water uses chlorine or chloramines. However, new drinking water disinfection methods are constantly coming to market. Two disinfection methods that have been gaining traction use ozone and ultra-violet (UV) light to disinfect the water supply.
Drinking Water Distribution
Drinking water distribution involves the management of flow of the treated water to the consumer. By some estimates, up to 30% of treated water fails to reach the consumer. This water, often called non-revenue water, escapes from the distribution system through leaks in pipelines and joints, and in extreme cases through water main breaks.
A public water authority manages drinking water distribution through a network of pipes, pumps and valves and monitors that flow using flow, level and pressure measurement sensors and equipment.
Water meters and metering systems such as automatic meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) allows a water utility to assess a consumer’s water use and charge them for the correct amount of water they have consumed.